Campsite

I went out last tuesday-thursday. Picked a campsite that Rita would find later. Heres what i found.

2 garbage sacks worth and I didnt get it all. I packed it out to the ATV trail to pack out later.

On the better side, the beach was VERY clean. There is a guy that comes out once a week and cleans all he can get to on his ATV. I've seen him a few times. He picked up what I had left out there. I put a 5 spot on his windsheld as I pulled out of the lot to go home.

Yea redneck campers, special, very, very special. I know we all have to share the natural resources the way they are given to us to use, but come on. Pack your crap out. I was just camping in the Olympic National Forest with some friends, alas it was car camping, but we did do a 5 mile hike w/ half at 23% grade. We had to pack out all the garbage that they felt they felt they could not take out themselves. I cannot tell you how many shotgun shells and other casings there were. They took out no less than 10 trees with shotguns. I guess it was tree hunting season as of last week or so. You know howw cwafty those siwouy trwees can be. We did however leave it much beter than we found it hauling out all we could find.

Unfortunately these selfish types leave their trash everywhere. I cannot stand the cig butts. No offense to any here who smoke, but that is the worst breed of litterers on the planet - the least regard for surroundings of anyone I've ever seen.

I was in line to buy tickets for a movie with my family, my daughter excitedly holding my hand, waiting for her very own ticket to give to the attendent. She was maybe 3. This slob, in his 20's, walks up to the girl waiting in front of us. He frantically puffed his cigarette, then held it at his side for a moment, about 12 inches from my daughter's face, and then dropped it at her toes, without stamping it out - ash on her shoe. The second-hand smoke blanketed her face as it snaked into the air.

Now I firmly believe in loving your neighbor, and I consider myself to be a peacemaker, but if you have total disregard for the people around you and mess with my little girl, all bets are off. I'm not a small guy, and apparently am fairly imposing when angry. I moved my daughter and son behind me, firmly "moved" the idiot out of the line, picked up the cigarette, and let's just say forced him to dispose of it properly. My words, while clean, were apparently even more forceful. He and his companion did not return. As smoking in that area was prohibited, those around us were more than happy to see the offenders leave.

I've seen cigarette butts in areas where the fire danger is labeled as severe, and that's messing with my other girl, Mother Nature. Don't expect me to respond with patience or civility should I catch you. I consider the act of smoking in these areas nothing short of terrorism. Other types of litter are nearly as offensive.

On trails, we always bring an extra bag in which to haul others trash.

Oh we should not take for granted the deeds of these trash benefactors; are doing our divine commission!

Why are we here? Everything has a purpose. Ours is producing trash.

Sometime in the distant past Earth decided it wanted something to embellish its looks, so it would sparkle and look more colorful from afar, instead of just a big old blue, white and greenish sphere. Earth tried, it created volcanoes, but their glow was hidden under ash clouds. The same thing with fire. And diamonds were just too small and insufficient in numbers to be seen. Earth decided it needed help, so it created man, and gifted him with a brain and opposable thumbs to manipulate his domain. Through millennia Earth refined man, so his behaviors yielded the physical enhancements she so desired. Our cities now sparkle at night, and can be observed by all her envious planet neighbors. But some have their own glowing capabilities, and the sun far our sparkles in that regard. Besides the city glow is only in the cities. But trash? Ah, that is portable, and can be sustained with out the direct presence of a human. So earth inspired us to create automobiles, allowing us to travel great distances to deposit our colorful cast offs. Our trash now resides on desiccated mountain tops and deserts and floats in huge mid ocean reefs, sure to persist for the ages. Apparently Earth wants more. Lately she has endowed us with fantastic technology, allowing us to travel with greater efficiency to far flung dumping grounds, and greater efficiency in our assigned commission of producing trash. Eventually Earth will be completely covered with the stuff, then having fulfilled our purpose, we will probably face extinction, but in the meantime let there be trash! You know, the only people who would dare clean up this stuff are those who would deny Earth her wish, perhaps forestalling the completion of our assignment, and eventual extinction soon after. But who are we to deny Earth her prerogatives?

so very disappointing to see and yes, this still happens unfortunately.

I have had this happen a couple of times to me.

So, as I, and I hope others choose to do. I leave each camp site of mean cleaner of trash than when I arrived. It is not really that hard to take your own trash away with you and even to pick up a couple extra pieces that are lying around does hurt.

Ya, it irritates me too. But the beach is as clean as I've ever seen it. That guy is doing a wonderful job! People that claen up that much diserve much more than they mostly get. I wish I knew his name.

I was recently hiking in Dinosaur Valley and came to a camping area with 9 camp sites and everyone of the camp sites looked like the pics above. What was worse were the dozens of broken beer bottles scattered through out the camping area that could easily tear tent bottoms, feet, or injure animals.

The last trip I took, over Memorial day weekend, I cleaned up someones backcountry "barbecue." There were beer cans, plastic bags, half eaten baked potatoes, 2lbs of uncooked hamburger meat, and mounds of soiled aluminum foil. So, they had taken the effort to pack in, cook it, eat it, and then....leave it.

*glowers darkly*

I burried the uneaten food and packed the trash out, which was pretty nasty. Don't get me wrong, I think roasting some beef and potatoes over a fire out in the wild is about as good as it gets. Just freaking carry your shit out with you, already.

Hmm, that sounds like a prime slogan for LNT! I can see the brochures now:

Mike sounds like a good trip. When I am done with my trek, iam volunteering and taking the trail maintaner course at Shenandoahia national Park. But I am volunteering for Jefferson National forest area. They have zero volunteers and would rather help in that section that needs the most..

I found this trash at a high gap around 4,800 feet in the Slickrock wilderness of NC. Inside the tent sac I placed two china-mart green propane tanks I found laying around, and left the whole wad in the firepit for the next friendly dayhiker to pick up and cart out.

I found this wonderful sight on Horse Cove Ridge in NC.

I found this pile of crap on the South Fork Citico in the Citico wilderness, found and gathered by backpacking buddy Hootyhoo and placed in this pile for later removal. Who would hump in a lawn chair and a giant china-mart tent?

One of the worst pieces of litter I ever found was this poor coyote with his face shot off and left by a "hunter" in the Cherokee National Forest. Tsk, Tsk.

Then there's your usual booze bottles left by the addicts, this one up on Hangover Mountain in NC.

GRAPHIC WARNING---DO NOT LOOK! These next two are probably the worse trail litter I find---turd piles with ample fouled toilet paper. It amazes me that the motards can't dig a simple hole. This wonderful pile was right in the middle of a once-nice and level campsite on the Brush Mountain trail in the Citico.

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED: One more piece of crap, this time left by car-loving tourists and dumped at the trailhead to the Grassy Branch trail in the Citico wilderness. Thing is, they dumped it right next to and inches from the headwaters of Grassy Branch---and the campsite I used a couple miles down the trail was not the pristine one it once was, knowing I was below this pile---I even boiled my water for a day as I just didn't trust my pump filter.

And then there's this huge pile of litter trash . . . . oh wait, that's the junk from out of my pack.

Probably the worst example of trash and wilderness litter I've seen in the last ten years is this clearcut inside the wilderness by the forest service up on Hangover Mt. They landed a helicopter in the wilderness for a small forest fire that was no where near this peak.

Here's one final shot of the Madness---nothing says litter better than chainsaws and bulldozers.

Tipi- That kinda stuff irratates me too no limit.... The one that kills me is the spray painting of rock formations. You wanna spray paint something so bad spray paint your own house with that garbage.

I saw reference to this story on here. Its sad, I am glad they got this taken care of. Ol' Smoky looks like he is need of a few good meals. I don't see the bear having much trouble making a full recovery.

Here is a link to what was posted here on Trailspace in regards to this story Tipi.